Senators honor former DENR Secretary Gina Lopez

The Senate today adopted a resolution expressing its sympathy and condolences to the family of former Environment Secretary Regina Paz "Gina" Lopez who succumbed to brain cancer on Monday, August 19, 2019. She was 65 years old.

Senate Resolution No. 100, in consideration of Senate Resolution No. 105, honored Lopez for her tireless work on the preservation and conservation of the environment. The resolutions were introduced by Senators Manuel "Lito" Lapid and Emmanuel "Manny" Pacquiao respectively.

"Ms. Lopez was a true warrior and advocate for the protection and preservation of our environment. We want to honor and commemorate Ms. Lopez for her great service, achievements and contributions for the Filipino people as an environmental advocate, philanthropist and Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources," Lapid said in his resolution.

For his part, Pacquiao's resolution praised Lopez for her remarkable contributions in environmental protection and upholding children's rights.

"Lopez has the qualities of a loving woman with a caring heart and who exhibits a selfless kind of love which inspires people from all walks of life," Pacquiao said in his resolution.

Lopez was the long-time chairperson of ABS-CBN Foundation Inc. (AFI) and served as Environment Secretary under President Rodrigo Duterte for 10 months until May 2017 after the Commission on Appointments rejected her confirmation.

She founded ABS-CBN's Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation and established the Bantay Bata 163, the country's first media-based hotline to protect abused, disadvantaged and at-risk children. Bantay Bata 163 won the United Nations Grand Awardee for Excellence.

Lopez was the first Filipino to be awarded the prestigious Seacology Prize in 2017 at Berkeley, California for showing "exceptional achievement in preserving island environments and culture."

She was the 1997 International Public Relations Awardee for Excellence for the Environment and the 2009 Outstanding Manilan Awardee for the Environment.